talarrafandomcom-20200215-history
Local Legends and Folk Lore
'Origins of the Sablewood Forest' There is a tale told in Port Alder and Dauer. A tale about the forest on the edges of their towns. The legend tells of how West Sablewood came to be where it is. People of these towns claim that on the last night of every year, if you walk into the forest, deep deep into the forest, you will see the Lady in White. There are many thoughts and ideas as to why she walks the woods at night, but the most commonly accepted is this. Centuries ago there was a foolish king, who name no one still remembers. This king was young and greedy, he wanted to expand his empire across the world. For the first and the last time in the history of Talarra, an army was formed from all the cities and villages and towns in the kingdom. Needless to say, this march did not succeed. Not only did the king fail to conquer and land, he was actually pushed back into Talarra, all the way to where East Sablewood now stands. Here, the king made his last stand, against the better wishes of his generals. He had barely a hundred men against 5 times his number. It was a slaughter and enough of a lesson to those who followed to never form another army again. But it is said, that later that night after the king had fallen and his soldiers slaughtered that a woman, dressed in nothing but white walked the battle field. She came every night, for the next 3 nights laying an acorn on the corpse of each fallen soldier, friend and foe alike. It is at the sight of this battle, that the heart of Sablewood forest lies. Over the years the trees have fallen or dropped their seeds to spread the forest to the size it is today. But as the tale goes, it is believed that the Woman in white walks the forests heart every year to drop new seeds and to keep the spirits of those who fell from leaving their earthy grave. 'The Mountains of Viventor' There are many stories about Viventor and its many occupents. But this paricular legend is of the mountains behind it. Some believe these mountains to be empty, others that the Syccan hide their many secrets in those wintery slopes. This tale, though, tells of neither. This tale tells of a man who has lived in those slopes for past millenia. The Syccan refuse to admit that this tale has any basis in truth what-so-ever. Now, back to the story. There were once many villages surrounding Viventor, who provided the food for the Syccan in their city of spires. In one of these villages, lived a young man by the name of Elyas Smithson, who was the son of a blacksmith! Well, the Syccan were traveling the countryside looking for just one such as him, someone for their expierements. Nobody with any sense would accept their offer, but Elyas was in dire need of the money they offered. You see, his mother had taken sick and nobody in any of the nearby villages knew what was wrong with her. When the Syccan came to this village though, they said they could cure his mother, for a price. They wanted Elyas to become a test subject for their expeirements. The Syccan were attempting to regain their lost youth and they believed, at the time, that if they could make a mere mortal such as Elyas into an immortal, that they could then cure their aging with the same procedure. For years they tested Elyas, like a rat in some mad warlocks lab. Over time, the Syccan noticed that Elyas was not aging as they had seen normal humans do. They stopped their expierements and left him in the lab for years, alone, just to see if it worked. But they made one mistake. They believed that humans were weak, that humans could never escape Viventor. But they had created something that was more than human, they had elevated him into something they had never expected. 10 years from the night they left him, Elyas broke his rusted chains and began to sneak through the city. It was impossible for him to escape unseen, but escape he did. To the mountains he ran, up into the cold passes, up into the mysterious peaks. Elyas was no longer Elyas the son of a smith. Those years in the Syccan city had changed him, warped him. He was no longer even human, some might say. He was now Elyas, the mountain dweller. As the centuries passed, the Syccan lessened their search for him, though every now and then a patrol would be sent out in the off chance he was still alive. To the humans of the area though, Elyas became a symbol, worshiped like a god by some. Reviled as a devil by others. Either way, he became a symbol that the Syccan, in their city of spires, were not infallible. 'In the Plains of Hassja' Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legends fade to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the age that gave it birth comes again. But in the northern plains, there stands a little village named Hassja and here there is one legend, one myth that has never been forgotten. In these plains, so the people say, stands a tower of the purest white. A tower seemingly made of snow, but harder than stone. No one has ever been able to reach this tower, but no one denies its existence either. Some even claim to have seen it, at high noon when the sun is at its brightest and the plains are at their hottest, the air shimmers and the tower appears to those who look hard enough. Most put these off as simple heat waves or the ramblings of country bumpkins. The people of Hassja, though, know this tower to exist. They know not what lies inside of it. Nor who it was made by, but they know it exists and that if anything at all is inside of it, that it must be something of incredible importance. 'Lake of Granvik' There are many rivers and lakes, seas and oceans in our world and almost all of them hold secrets which have been hidden from the world. The lake near Granvik, however, holds a secret larger than most. Deep in the waters of Granvik there are stones and rocks and rubble of ages past. Some believe these to be the foundation of a city long gone others the base of a mighty statue. No matter what may be down there though, everyone agrees on one thing. There is treasure down there, open for the taking. None have had to courage to venture down, for fear of some ancient guardians or monsters of the deep. 'The Green Hills of Larkwood' There are many things in our world, golbins and ghouls, warriors and warlocks. There are also many places in our world with a less than reputable reputation. The forests of Sablewood, the mountains of Viventor or the Falls of Larkwood. Sadly though, there are also palces of magic that are over looked by those of us today. The Green Hills of Larkwood being a fine example. Now, some believe that in these hills live little fairys or fey-folk or other such imaginary creatures. But they are not far from the truth. You see, in these hills are little ones who call themselves larks, like the song bird. They love to sing and dance under the hills of Larkwood. Some mistake their revery for the bird itself, but if you manage to find them without them running away or tricking you then you are extremely lucky. They collect songs you see. They will trade anything they have for a good song, be it gold, jewels, ancient tomes or weapons of old. What determines how valuable the item you are given depends on how much they like your song. But the do not give just items. They can also give advice, or words or wisdom or even, on very rare occasions, foretellings of your future. So go now, search for the Larks under their hills in the woods, see if you can tempt them with your song and knowledge of the world outside! 'The Caverns of Verslun' At the post of Verslun, there sits and ancient library, filled with knowledge of times before what any still remember. We have not yet found all of its secrets, but some fear for what my have or will. Still others fear for what could be below the library. Sounds can be heard from its halls in the quiet night, scratchings from inside the walls or sometimes loud crashs, as if an entire bookshelf had fallen to the ground. No one has been able to find the source of these noises and nobody has been brave enough to venture into the older parts of the library at night. What is wondered most though is what could possibly be in there? What could the makers of this library have awakened in the depths of its halls or with the contents of their books. How far did these old ones delve into the earth. What could they have discovered in their books that had to be sealed into the lowest levels. We may never know, but one day I guarantee someone will venture into those halls and if they return at all, they will be followed by something none of us could have expected. Other ((OOC: Down here is for ideas for WIP ones so that people may take a look at them if they wish.))